Vehicle and battery charging system for a vehicle

Abstract

A vehicle includes a body and a charging pad. The body defines first and second wheel wells on opposing lateral sides of the body. The body defines a cavity along a bottom surface of the body between the wheel wells and a rear end of the vehicle. The charging pad is disposed within the cavity such that the charging pad spans a distance between the first and second wheel wells. The charging pad has a secondary coil disposed therein. The secondary coil is configured to receive electrical power from a primary coil of a charging station via induction to recharge a vehicle battery.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A vehicle comprising:
 a body defining first and second wheel wells on opposing lateral sides of the body, and defining a cavity along a bottom surface of the body between the first and second wheel wells and a rear end of the vehicle; 
 a charging pad disposed within the cavity such that the charging pad spans a distance between the first and second wheel wells, the charging pad having a secondary coil disposed therein, wherein the secondary coil is configured to receive electrical power from a primary coil of a charging station via induction to recharge a vehicle battery; and 
 an elastic bumper (i) secured to a bottom surface of the charging pad and (ii) configured to engage a charger pad housing the primary coil during a charging event, wherein the elastic bumper is separated from the body by the charging pad. 
 
     
     
       2. The vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein a bottom surface of the charging pad is oriented at an angle relative to the bottom surface of the body that ranges between 10° and 30°. 
     
     
       3. The vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the charging pad is rotatably secured to the body and is configured to rotate relative to the body between a stowed position during a non-charging event and an engaged position during the charging event. 
     
     
       4. The vehicle of  claim 3 , wherein a bottom surface of the charging pad is substantially parallel with the bottom surface of the body in the stowed position. 
     
     
       5. The vehicle of  claim 3 , wherein a bottom surface of the charging pad is oriented at an angle relative to the bottom surface of the body that ranges between 10° and 30° in the engaged position. 
     
     
       6. The vehicle of  claim 3  further comprising an actuator secured to the body and to the charging pad, wherein the actuator is configured to transition the charging pad between the stowed position and the engaged position. 
     
     
       7. The vehicle of  claim 6 , wherein the actuator is disposed within the cavity. 
     
     
       8. The vehicle of  claim 6  further comprising a controller programmed to,
 in response to a command to park the vehicle and initiate the charging event, operate the actuator to transition the charging pad from the stowed position to the engaged position, and in response to a command to initiate the non-charging event, operate the actuator to transition the charging pad from the engaged position to the stowed position. 
 
     
     
       9. The vehicle of  claim 6  further comprising a controller programmed to, in response to a command to park the vehicle and initiate the charging event, operate the actuator to transition the secondary coil from the stowed position to the engaged position, and in response to a command to initiate the non-charging event, operate the actuator to transition the secondary coil from the engaged position to the stowed position. 
     
     
       10. The vehicle of  claim 1  further comprising a spring secured to the charging pad, wherein the spring is configured to compensate for positional tolerances of the charging pad during an engagement between the charging pad and a charger pad housing the primary coil during the charging event. 
     
     
       11. A vehicle comprising:
 a body having a length and a width, 
 a rear axle extending along the width of the body and having first and second wheels; 
 an electric machine configured to propel the vehicle; 
 a battery configured to deliver electrical power to the electric machine; 
 a secondary coil (i) secured to a bottom of the body, (ii) disposed between the rear axle and a rear end of the vehicle along the length of the body, (iii) spanning a distance between the first and second wheels along the width of the body, and (iv) configured to receive electrical power from a primary coil via induction to recharge the battery; and 
 an elastic bumper (i) secured to a bottom of the secondary coil and (ii) configured to engage the primary coil during a charging event, wherein the elastic bumper is separated from the body by the secondary coil. 
 
     
     
       12. The vehicle of  claim 11 , wherein the bottom of the body defines a cavity between the rear axle and the rear end of the vehicle, and wherein the secondary coil is disposed within the cavity. 
     
     
       13. The vehicle of  claim 11 , wherein the secondary coil is oriented at an angle relative to a bottom surface of the body that ranges between 10° and 30°. 
     
     
       14. The vehicle of  claim 11 , wherein the secondary coil is rotatably secured to the body and is configured to rotate relative to the body between a stowed position during a non-charging event and an engaged position during the charging event. 
     
     
       15. The vehicle of  claim 14 , wherein the secondary coil is substantially parallel with a bottom surface of the body in the stowed position. 
     
     
       16. The vehicle of  claim 14 , wherein the secondary coil is oriented at an angle relative to a bottom surface of the body that ranges between 10° and 30° in the engaged position. 
     
     
       17. The vehicle of  claim 14  further comprising an actuator secured to the body and to the secondary coil, wherein the actuator is configured to transition the secondary coil between the stowed position and the engaged position. 
     
     
       18. The vehicle of  claim 11  further comprising a spring secured to the secondary coil, wherein the spring is configured to compensate for positional tolerances of the secondary coil during an engagement between the secondary coil and the primary coil during the charging event.